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Showing posts from May, 2012

Cheese cream filled savory choux pastry

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Photo : Valerie Szewczyk INGREDIENTS (for about 35 choux pastry) 125g milk 125g water 100g butter 100g gratted (comtĂ© or emmental) cheese 150g all-purpose flour 200g eggs (4 large) 200g cheese cream 60g of fresh aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive and chervil 5g ganulated sugar Salt and ground pepper DIRECTIONS :    Preheat oven to 170°C ( 340°F ) Prepare your cream cheese with finely chopped aromatic herbs : tarragon, chive, and chervil. Season with salt and ground pepper. Reserve in the fridge. In a pot, mix water, milk, butter, sugar, and a pinch of table salt. Bring to a boil. Once butter has completely melted, take off flame , and pour flour all at once , stirring constantly.  Put pot back on flame and continue to work it with a spatula for less than a minute.  Continue stirring and kneading until the dough dries out and stops sticking to the sides of the pot. Take off flame.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring energetically.  Fill a pastry bag with b

Salty-buttered Caramel tart

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Courtesy of Chef Noemie, Opera Cooking School in Paris INGREDIENTS (6 serving) For the dough : 100g all-purpose flour 10g almond meal 40g icing sugar 3g table salt 60g unsalted butter (at room temperature) ½ beaten egg Salty buttered caramel cream : 150g de granulated sugar 75g salted butter 150g whipping cream Nuts for decoration. DIRECTIONS  Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). In a bowl, put all dry ingredients and combine. Make a well and add butter cutted in small cubes. Combine with your fingers until butter is totally incorporated. Add the half beaten egg. Shape a ball and start rolling out. Wrap in a plastic film and chill one hour in the fridge. Roll out the dough until you get a ¼ inch thickness. Prick with a fork, and place into the cooking ring. Bake for 12 ot 15 minutes at 170°C (340°F). Put it on a rack to cool and remove the rings. Warm the cream in microwave Put sugar and butter cutted in cubes in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce to low heat

Tomatoes, pinenuts and fresh basil puff pastry tart

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Courtesy of Lulu at Voyage Gourmand INGREDIENTS (4 serving)  Puff pastry roll 5 Roma tomatoes 200g tomatoe purĂ©e in a can 1 garlic clove 50g pinenuts ½ bunch fresh basil Herbs of Provence or 1 tbsp oregano Fresh goat cheese Salt and ground pepper DIRECTIONS Pour tomatoe purĂ©e in a saucepan.  Add garlic cutted in two parts, herbs of Provence or oregano.  Cook it over high heat for a few minutes. Meantime, preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).  Roll out puff pastry and put it on the baking tray covered with parchment paper. Shape rectangle. Slice tomatoes thinly. Spread tomatoe purĂ©e after having removed the garlic on puff pastry. Cover with tomatoe rings. Add pinenuts. Dice goat cheese and top on tomatoe tart. Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Reserve. Cut fresh basil leaves on the warm tart. Serve accompanied with mesclun salad.

Tuna with a green olives and saffron sauce

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INGREDIENTS (4 serving)  4 tuna pieces 1 tbsp fresh ginger 1tsp sweet curry 4 basil leaves Olive oil Olives and Saffron sauce  : 100g pitted green olives  100ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves 1 lemon 1 bunch fresh basil 1 little bunch flat parsley 10 saffron threads DIRECTIONS Combine oil with gratted ginger and curry powder. Marinate tuna in oil mixture for 30 minutes Prepare olives and saffron sauce as follows : Blanche garlic. Crush saffron threads in a morter. Squeeze lemon to get the juice. Infuse saffron in lemon juice. Reserve. Put green olives, garlic, basil, parsley, saffron and lemon juice in the blender. Mix. Reserve. SautĂ© tuna in a pan. It should be rare for being tender ! Serve tuna topped with green sauce.

Strawberries, Pepper flavored whipped cream

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INGREDIENTS (6 serving)  500g strawberry "Gariguettes" 300 ml whipping cream 10 g Indonesia long black pepper 30 g granulated sugar 6 shortcrust biscuits or crumble dough DIRECTIONS  Wash strawberry under clear water. Put it on absorbed paper. Remove the stem and cut the strawberries in two or four parts lenghtwise in a bowl. Crush pepper finely in a morter to get a powder. Add 5g of this powder to the strawberries. Add 15g sugar and 3 tbsp iced water. Combine and reserve in the fridge. In a chilled bowl, combine cream with pepper. Start whipping. When the cream starts to get ferm, add sugar. Continue whipping until stiff. Place the fruits in the glass, top with cream and crushed biscuits.

Saffron flavored spelt wheat risotto-style

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This recipe is a courtesy of Chef Marie who is a saffron producer in Provence INGREDIENTS (6 serving)  250g organic spelt wheat 2 tbsp olive oil 60g gratted parmesan 1 onion 1 liter chicken stock 100ml dry white wine 20g butter 40 to 50 saffron threads  Table salt, ground pepper  DIRECTIONS  Crush the saffron threads in a morter, and infuse it in 2 tbsp hot water.  Add half of saffron infusion to the chicken stock.  Peel and slice the onion finely. Put olive oil in a wok pan. Cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add spelt wheat, and combine for a few minutes.  Add white wine, and stir to combine with a spatula.  When spelt wheat has absorbed the liquid, add a ladle of stock and combine.  Do it until you have used the whole stock. Add butter. Season with salt and ground pepper.  The wheat should be smooth and “al dente” like Italian pasta.  Sprinkle with gratted parmesan, add the rest of saffron infusion and cook for 5 more minutes over low heat.   Serve imm

Green Asparagus velvety soup

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Courtesy of Chef Olivier Roellinger INGREDIENTS (6 serving)  1 bunch of green asparagus (600 g)  1,5 liter of water  1 tsp coarse salt  1 tsp " Gallo " spices mix 75g soy cream (for cooking)  100g asparagus stock  DIRECTIONS   Cut asparagus hard stems (remove 2 cm).  Trim the little leaves from the stems, but leave them whole and unpeeled.  In a large pan, bring water, salt and Gallo spices mix to a boil.  Cook asparagus for 10 to 15 minutes, drain and then put it immediatly in iced water.  Keep the asparagus stock. Cut the asparagus stems about 1/3 of the way down, and keep the tender tips for presentation.  Mix the stems with 100g of stock, and 75g of soy cooking cream.  PRESENTATION   Serve the velvety soup in a boil, decorate with asparagus tips, parsley leaves, and a dash of spices mix.

Mint flavored fresh peas velvety soup

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Preparation : 20mn  Cooing time : 5mn INGREDIENTS (4 serving)  1,2kg fresh in-pod spring peas 100ml milk  250ml liquid cream  10 fresh mint leaves plus more for garnish  Table salt and ground pepper  DIRECTIONS   Shell peas. You should have 350g peas.  Cook it in salted boiling water for 5 minutes.  Refresh in iced water to stop the cooking.  In a saucepan, bring milk and cream to a simmering boil. Season with salt and pepper.  Add the mint leaves. Cover and let infusing for 10 minutes.  Pour the peas in the mixture. Whirl in a blender or food processor, in batches if necessary, or with a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth, at least 3 minutes to get the smooth velvety soup.  Warm on the stove for two minutes.  Serve immediately, topped with fresh mint leaves.